Pharmaceutical companies that give back and donate to medical relief nonprofits
By Steve Stirling, president and CEO of MAP International
As the CEO of a nonprofit that greatly depends on support from both corporations and individuals, I appreciate companies that donate their products and services to medical relief and development international NGOs like ours. A large part of our success is the result of relationships we’ve built with the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, AbbVie and Merck.
In 2014, nonprofits received more than $335 billion in charitable donations. While most came from individual donations, 15 percent came from company foundations and five percent came from corporations (Giving USA 2015 Annual Report on Philanthropy). Pharmaceutical companies are one of the top donors in the category of in-kind gifts.
Delivering medical supplies around the world is a complicated and challenging endeavor. It requires extensive knowledge of pharmaceutical processes, from knowing the shelf life term of a product to whether a medicine is really appropriate for the perceived need. Of course, there are also myriad issues when working in certain countries, including language differences, social acceptance of medicines and distribution challenges.
Partnering for Global Health
MAP International (www.map.org) is a 62-year-old global health and relief organization that delivers medicines, medical supplies and health services around the world in response to man-made and natural disasters and to people living with neglected tropical diseases and in severe poverty.
We began when a pharmaceutical company called our founder, J. Raymond Knighton, to donate 11 tons of medical supplies. For the next three months, Knighton distributed the supplies to the places that needed them the most, and the Medical Assistance Programs (MAP) was born.
Our partnerships with pharmaceutical companies allow us to treat the world’s poorest communities. These partners provide us with a range of products, including antibiotics, pain relievers, medical supplies, sutures, vitamins, food supplements, and personal care items.
Common Medicines Saving Lives
Medicines we take for granted as over-prescribed and inexpensive in the United States are lifesavers in developing countries. Antibiotics are needed to fight off pneumonia and infections in children. Insect repellent can keep a child from developing malaria or the Zika virus. A simple pill twice a year can keep an entire village from contracting worms. Bandages can keep wounds clean and free from infection.
Our supply chain management system and temperature-controlled distribution center allows us to store medicines and medical supplies for countries in need on an ongoing basis and to have plans in place to respond to natural disasters. We have built relationships with governments, health ministries and dozens of on-the-ground NGO partners to ensure we can move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
How Pharmaceutical Donations Are Used
In 2015, pharmaceutical companies donated $538 million in medicines and medical supplies to MAP. Those partnerships continue to grow. In March and April of this year, we provided more than $60 million in medicines and medical supplies across 25 countries, enough to treat more than one million adults and children.
Most nonprofits are dependent at some level on corporate donations to meet their goals. In our case, we need gifts in kind for medical product supplies, but we also need monetary donations to fund the actual transport and delivery. We’ve grown very efficient in that process over the years, to the point where today a $1 donation allows us to provide $60 worth of essential medicines and medical supplies.
MAP has earned the respect of charities and donors around the world. We have a Charity Navigator score of 99.92 based on financial health, accountability and transparency. Our low operating costs contribute to that high score – operating costs that would be substantially higher without corporate donations.
Over the decades, we have delivered more than $5 billion in medicines and medical supplies to hospitals, clinics and medical missionaries, serving children and families in need in more than 100 countries. In recent years, we’ve expanded our work in community health development and disease prevention in Bolivia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia and Uganda.
Of course, responding to the unexpected is a large part of our mission:
• 2010 Haitian earthquake: Our medical team was on the ground within days, and we are still responding to ongoing needs.
• Ebola: MAP has maintained offices in Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire for many years to support local hospitals and rural clinics. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, we sent more than $15 million in Ebola relief to the region.
• Nepal earthquake: MAP responded quickly to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, immediately sending emergency relief and eventually sending more than $14 million in medicines to treat more than 200,000 people.
• Refugees and Zika: Right now, we are partnering with other organizations to get supplies into the Middle East for Syrian refugees and working in South America distributing insect repellent to fight Zika.
Partnerships Build Employee Morale, Stakeholder Value
Every company wants to support worthy causes, but many, including pharmaceutical companies, must balance the needs of their shareholders, legal or regulatory requirements and communications objectives. There are many positives to supporting a medical relief nonprofit:
• Product donations to nonprofits free up costly warehouse space, allowing companies to be more efficient. Donating saleable inventory, shorter dated product, canceled orders, excess and obsolete inventory, returns, products that are experiencing a packaging change or first quality product being phased out of production helps companies eliminate excess inventory costs.
• Donating medicines and medical supplies drastically reduces disposal costs and environmental concerns.
• Valuable products donated to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization like MAP International are eligible for a “stepped up” tax deduction.
Steve Stirling is president and CEO of MAP International, a global Christian health and relief organization that partners with people living in conditions of poverty to save lives and develop healthier families and communities. Recognized for its 99 percent efficiency rating, MAP International responds to the needs of those it serves by providing medicines, preventing disease, and promoting health to create real hope and lasting change. The organization’s mission is to advance the total health of people living in the world’s poorest communities. MAP international carries out that mission through disease prevention, relief, and community health development.
